Muramatsu
Muramatsu (no first name given) is a character that appears in Yasushi Hoshino's 2008 Cyborg 009 "Birth" one-shot. He is a delinquent imprisoned at Kurihama, as well as being a friend of the protagonist Joe Shimamura. He is based off the boy who appeared at the start of the original "Birth" arc. Appearance Muramatsu is a tall, brawny young man with rough features, including a long face, prominent nose and chin, and small squinted eyes. He tends to have a scowling or dazed expression on his face, which he sarcastically explains to a guard that he was "born this way" when asked about it. Personality and Relationships Muramatsu is introduced as a bored, uncooperative type who initially refuses to talk with the stranger who visits him to know more about Joe. In flashbacks, he is shown to answer the guards rudely when they begin attacking the inmates in line for various infractions, with him being targeted for the expression he's making. Later, it shown that Muramatsu has actually been tired and fearful of the violent rehabilitation that he's been put through by the guards, which is what leads to him and Joe attempting their escape. Joe Shimamura As Joe's cellmate, Muramatsu attempted to look out for him and was stunned by his brazen attitude in blocking a guard's fist. Joe also defended Muramatsu from the guard that attempted to beat them for making noise in their cell, and stole the ring of keys. Muramatsu was surprised to learn that Joe had always been alone in life, and offered for the two of them to stick together after they escaped, with the plan of settling in Tokyo. History After two years of being imprisoned at Kurihama, Muramatsu had been unable to put up with any more violence and threats from the guards. His cellmate Joe had insisted he would not be able to escape alone, which in turn revealed his own plan to flee the facility. The two boys managed to sneak out after knocking out a guard and stealing his keys, with the only obstacle left being a high barbed-wire fence. After scaling it and using their blankets to shield them from the wire, they were ready to jump but were met by two black-suited men in a Hagenbeck Zoo truck. The men shot Joe and Muramatsu with sedatives, causing the latter to fall back over the fence. Seven days after the attempted breakout, Muramatsu had believed that Joe was separated from him by the guards and put in isolation. However, he would be visited by a French man named Jean Arnoul, who had been following the cases of mysterious abductions that had occurred on that very same date. It was then revealed that Joe had been abducted by the two men, and that eight other people had also vanished due to mysterious "men in black", including Jean's younger sister. Little did they know, these men were from an organization known as Black Ghost. Notes *While the original boy in the manga has been debated as either being a younger Ibaraki or an entirely different character, Hoshino opted to go with the idea that the two were separate. Muramatsu does not resemble the boy as seen in the initial origin, though he does bear some resemblance to the boy seen in the brief one-panel retelling in the Monster Island arc (in him being taller and brawnier). *His surname derives from what Ishinomori initially set as Joe's surname, before changing his mind and having it be Shimamura. Category:Male characters Category:Humans